New Consumer Protections Could Save You Hundreds on Your Next Flight

Summary

Summary of "New Consumer Protections Could Save You Hundreds on Your Next Flight" - Smart Travel by NerdWallet

Hosts: Sally French and Megan Coyle
Guest: Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog at US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund
Release Date: July 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "New Consumer Protections Could Save You Hundreds on Your Next Flight," NerdWallet's travel experts, Sally French and Megan Coyle, alongside guest Teresa Murray, explore the escalating number of complaints against U.S. airlines and the newly implemented consumer protections aimed at alleviating these issues. This comprehensive discussion provides travelers with essential insights and actionable advice to navigate air travel more effectively.

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Surge in Airline Complaints

Teresa Murray begins by highlighting a concerning trend: complaints against U.S. airlines have reached a new high in 2024, marking the fourth record year out of the last five.

"Complaints against US Airlines hit another record, which it's done four out of the last five years." [08:13]

Among the largest airlines, Frontier Airlines tops the list with the highest number of complaints per 100,000 passengers, surpassing Spirit Airlines, which holds the second spot.

"Of the 10 largest airlines, Frontier had the most complaints per 100,000 passengers, with Spirit following as the second worst." [07:23]

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Factors Contributing to Increased Complaints

Several key factors drive the rise in airline complaints:

1. Increased Passenger Volume vs. Complaint Rate: While passenger numbers grew by 4%, complaints surged by 9%, indicating dissatisfaction outpaced growth.

2. Post-Pandemic Expectations: The prolonged impact of COVID-19 has heightened travelers' expectations for seamless experiences, making them less tolerant of disruptions.

   "We believe passengers have found their voice and now realize that complaining gets results." [09:00]

3. Rising Fees: Escalating baggage and ticket fees have led passengers to expect more value, resulting in frustration when services fall short.

   "Airline tickets have gone up in price, and baggage fees have increased, leading to higher customer expectations." [09:17]

4. Discontinued Flights: Airlines removing flights well in advance complicates travelers' plans, with such changes not yet tracked by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

   "Discontinued flights taken off more than a week before departure aren't counted as canceled, adding to passenger inconvenience." [09:34]

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Introduction of New Consumer Protections

Teresa Murray introduces the "Plain Truth 2025" report, outlining substantial consumer protections enacted by Congress and the DOT:

1. No-Hassle Refunds: Airlines must offer refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights without pressuring passengers into accepting vouchers.

   "Airlines must now offer a refund before even offering a voucher." [13:00]

2. Defined Significant Delay: A delay is legally significant if it exceeds three hours, providing clarity to passengers about their rights.

   "A significant delay is now legally defined as three hours or more." [13:22]

3. 24/7 Customer Service: Airlines are required to maintain round-the-clock live agents to assist passengers during disruptions.

   "Airlines must have 24/7 live agents for disrupted flights." [13:00]

4. Enhanced Support for Passengers with Disabilities: New protections ensure better assistance for those using wheelchairs or scooters.

   "There are vast new protections for travelers who use wheelchairs or scooters." [13:00]

5. Baggage Fee Refunds: If checked bags arrive 12 hours or more after the passenger, airlines must refund the baggage fees.

   "Airlines must refund your baggage fees if your bags are delayed by 12 hours or more." [14:56]

These measures aim to empower consumers, ensuring fair treatment and adequate compensation during travel disruptions.

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Booking Strategies: Direct vs. Third-Party

The hosts emphasize the importance of booking flights directly with airlines rather than through third-party agents to avoid complications.

"Avoiding third-party ticket agents can prevent situations where your booking is mishandled, leading to costly rebookings." [21:31]

Teresa Murray shares a cautionary tale about a couple who faced significant financial loss and inconvenience due to a third-party agent mishandling their Delta flight booking.

"Their tickets were canceled without their knowledge, and they had to rebook at over three times the original cost." [21:30]

This story underscores the risks associated with unreliable third-party booking platforms.

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Travel Tips and Consumer Advice

Teresa Murray and Sally French offer valuable advice for both novice and experienced travelers:

1. Know Your Rights: Familiarize yourself with the new consumer protections to ensure you're adequately compensated during disruptions.

   "Travelers should know their rights to ensure they're adequately compensated during flight disruptions." [23:22]

2. Use Baggage Trackers: Implement trackers for all bags, including carry-ons, as airlines are gate-checking more items to streamline boarding.

   "We recommend that people put trackers in all their bags because airlines are gate-checking more carry-ons." [22:54]

3. Be Courteous: Maintaining a polite demeanor with airline staff can facilitate better assistance during issues.

   "Be nice to customer service because they might be able to help fix your problem." [24:29]

4. Overbooking Strategies: If offered compensation for volunteering to give up your seat, consider the bid amounts wisely to maximize returns.

   "If you bid higher, you're more likely to get the compensation, but decide what's important to you." [25:31]

5. Utilize DOT Resources: Use resources like flightrights.gov to stay informed about airline commitments and your rights.

   "Before booking, go to flightrights.gov to see what airlines promise in case of delays or cancellations." [17:35]

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Listener Question: Disney Dining Plan

A listener named Melissa inquires about the value of the Disney Dining Plan for her family's upcoming trip. The hosts break down the options and provide strategic advice:

1. Dining Plan Tiers:

   • Quick Service Plan (~$60/day): Includes two counter service meals, one snack, and a refillable resort mug.
   • Standard Dining Plan (~$100/day): Offers one table service meal, one quick service meal, one snack, and a refillable mug.

   "The dining plan can simplify budgeting and reduce stress by prepaid meal packages." [30:15]

2. Value Proposition: While not always saving money directly, the plan offers convenience and a perceived value by reducing the need to constantly pay out-of-pocket.

   "It's more of a prepaid budgeting tool rather than a direct money saver." [31:26]

3. Maximizing Benefits:

   • Use snack credits for substantial meals rather than bottled water.
   • Take advantage of deals where kids eat free when the dining plan is purchased for adults.

   "Use snack credits at places like Gaston's Tavern for more substantial snacks instead of wasting them on bottled water." [32:03]

4. Special Promotions for 2026: For bookings in 2026, families can purchase the dining plan for adults, and children under 10 eat for free, with no cap per room when combined with other hotel discounts.

   "If you purchase a stay at a Disney World Hotel in 2026 and buy the dining plan for all adults, kids in the group eat free." [33:10]

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Future Developments in Consumer Protections

Teresa Murray outlines upcoming regulations and areas to watch:

1. Evacuation Standards: Airlines must ensure airplanes can be evacuated within 90 seconds, accounting for passengers of all ages and abilities.

   "DOT has demanded that airplane evacuation studies include a diverse range of passengers, including the elderly and those with disabilities." [27:47]

2. Seat Size Transparency: Future rules may require airlines to disclose seat dimensions, helping passengers make informed seating choices.

   "Airlines will soon be required to disclose seat sizes, allowing passengers to choose flights that offer more comfort." [28:48]

3. Expanded Definitions of Controllable Delays: Clarifications on what constitutes a controllable delay to ensure airlines cannot easily dismiss their responsibilities.

   "DOT is looking into a clearer definition of controllable delays to hold airlines accountable." [27:42]

These developments aim to further protect passengers and enhance the overall travel experience.

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Conclusion

The episode underscores the importance of being informed and proactive in managing air travel experiences. With the introduction of new consumer protections, travelers are better equipped to handle disruptions and seek fair compensation. The hosts encourage listeners to familiarize themselves with their rights, choose booking methods wisely, and utilize available resources to ensure smoother and more enjoyable travels.

"We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller." [34:32]

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Additional Notes

• Upcoming Content: The hosts tease future episodes, including a dedicated discussion on lost luggage based on Megan Coyle's personal experiences.

  "We will do a whole show on your baggage journey." [29:35]

• Engagement: Listeners are encouraged to share their travel stories, ask questions, and provide feedback through various channels.

  "Tell us your worst air travel stories, send us your questions, just email us at travelnerdwallet.com." [33:42]

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For more detailed information on the new consumer protections and to explore your rights as a traveler, visit pirg.org/flighttips.

Transcript

[Megan Coyle]

Today's episode is sponsored by Fiji Water.

[Sally French]

No way.

[Megan Coyle]

I love hydration same and Fiji Hydration no less. It really is from the actual islands of Fiji, as in 1600 miles from the nearest continent. It's bottled at the source and untouched by man until you unscrew the cap and you don't have to go all the way to Fiji.

[Teresa Murray]

Although you have been to Fiji, Megan.

[Megan Coyle]

Yes. And I was living off the Fiji water. I would get out of the ocean, take a little sip of Fiji Water. It tastes so good.

[Teresa Murray]

And it's easy to get it here too. Fiji Water is the number one premium bottled water brand in the U.S. it's.

[Megan Coyle]

My go to hydration for everything from beach days to jungle hikes, or even just a little water on the hotel nightstand.

[Teresa Murray]

Oh, you know, I love my gallon challenge. I gotta say, if you are not doing the gallon challenge every day, my hot take is you are not hydrated enough.

[Megan Coyle]

Honestly, I agree. And did you know Fiji Water has more than double the electrolytes as the other two top premium bottled water brands? That's what gives it that extra smooth taste.

[Teresa Murray]

Fiji Water is Earth's finest water, Megan. If I am doing an Orlando theme park in the summer, I'm like, sometimes two G challenge, baby.

[Megan Coyle]

That's a lot of bottles of Fiji Water and I love that they're travel size so that they fit in my crossbody bag.

[Teresa Murray]

I'm plowing through my Fiji Water bottles and luckily, Fiji Water is environmentally responsible.

[Megan Coyle]

Yes. Since 2022, the 330 and 500 milliliter bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic. Fiji Water continues to lead the top premium bottled water competition on launching 100% recycled plastic bottles.

[Teresa Murray]

I love water and you know, if I see a Fiji Water bottle available, that's definitely the one I'm going for.

[Megan Coyle]

Fiji Water. Earth's finest water.

[Teresa Murray]

Stay hydrated. Like us travelers, Megan, one of your best qualities is that you are not much of a complainer when it comes to travel.

[Megan Coyle]

I am not. I'm so grateful to have the opportunities to travel. So I keep reminding myself that when I have like a really long tarmac delay.

[Teresa Murray]

As for me, even though I'm not much of a complainer, it's more because I'm optimistic. So, like, when something's bad, I'm like, okay, well, at least this makes for a good story. And now it's just funny.

[Megan Coyle]

But as it turns out, many people out there are big complainers about air travel. And today we'll hear what they can do about it.

[Teresa Murray]

Welcome to Smart Travel A deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Sally French.

[Megan Coyle]

And I'm Megan Coyle and we're the.

[Teresa Murray]

Travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip. Today we've got an expert on air travelers biggest concerns.

[Megan Coyle]

Today's show has some mentions of credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners, but that doesn't influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening. For the latest details, follow the links in the episode description. First up, World of Hyatt is expanding again, and this time with a very stylish brand. Starting this week, participating Bunkhouse Hotels are joining the World of Hyatt program in phases.

[Teresa Murray]

Now, if you're not familiar with Bunkhouse, their properties tend to have artsy vibes and are the kind of hit place you'd go for live music by the pool or local food and drinks.

[Megan Coyle]

The rollout started July 16 with the Hotel St. Cecilia in Austin. Other properties joining soon include the Hotel St. Augustine Hotel, San Jose, Carpenter Motel and Austin Motel, all in Texas, and the Oceanfront Hotel San Cristobal in Baja California.

[Teresa Murray]

Sir, good chance for World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points at some unique properties that aren't just a cookie cutter hotel.

[Megan Coyle]

Lots of big hotel brands are partnering with these boutique brands.

[Teresa Murray]

Yeah, you know, I've noticed that and I do think this is nice for travelers who want the benefits of a big hotel, big brand, big loyalty program. So so that they can still earn their points but still get that unique vibe. Now NerdWallet has a comprehensive guide to World of Hyatt brands that you can find a link to in today's episode description. There you can see more than two dozen brands where you can earn and redeem World of Hyatt points.

[Megan Coyle]

Moving on to lounge news, Airport lounges are trying to combat overcrowding by giving people what they want. The free food.

[Teresa Murray]

Yes, I love free food.

[Megan Coyle]

Yes, I know you do. So you'll love the two grab and go food stands that are now part of two major lounge networks. And Amex is debuting a new airport lounge concept called Sidecar by the Centurion Lounge. They're calling it a speakeasy inspired space focused on small bites and fast service for travelers who are just passing through and don't have time for that full lounge experience.

[Teresa Murray]

I am very intrigued by this. We do not have a ton of details yet, but I Imagine this will be much smaller in terms of square footage than its traditional lounges.

[Megan Coyle]

If this Vegas lounge concept is a success, I could see Amex rolling with it in smaller airports maybe where they don't have enough space to build a full lounge.

[Teresa Murray]

That would be very nice. And then here's also where things get interesting. So whereas traditional Amex lounges let you in three hours before your flight, with this one eligible card members can access sidecar only within 90 minutes before their flight. Now, the first one of these will open at Las Vegas airport in 2026.

[Megan Coyle]

American Airlines also announced they're going to try something similar. They're opening a new grab and go lounge concept called Provisions by Admirals Club at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina later this summer.

[Teresa Murray]

Same access policy as the other American Airlines lounge locations. You'd had to have had an Admirables club. Did I say Admirables? Admirals Club membership, the City AA Advantage Executive Credit Card or One World Elite status. Or you can pay 79 or 7900American miles. But I have to say I don't think that's worth it for a grab and go location.

[Megan Coyle]

I'm curious about these grab and go locations though, because I love the Grab and go food at the Capital One lounges. So I think this is a good way to give lounge members or cardholders some of those benefits without needing to develop a whole new lounge space. That takes forever.

[Teresa Murray]

And Built is back in the news second week in a row. Bilt Rewards is the rewards program that lets members earn points on rent and the built MasterCard. We just talked about the new suite of cards they're launching next year. And now they are launching a new hotel booking platform.

[Megan Coyle]

It's called Home Away From Home. You can book a stay at quote unquote iconic hotels through this new platform and you'll get benefits like room upgrades upon arrival, daily breakfast for two, early check in, late checkout, plus a $100 food and beverage credit.

[Teresa Murray]

Now, Megan, you're my resident built fan. Are you going to use this?

[Megan Coyle]

You know I don't qualify right now.

[Teresa Murray]

Ouch.

[Megan Coyle]

It's only available to Platinum and Gold Elite status members in the Built program, but that's probably for the best. I already spend plenty on luxury hotels through the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program. I don't need to add this one to the list.

[Teresa Murray]

It's funny, I was going to say it feels to me like when you were saying all those Built benefits, you basically just described Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts. There's Also Chase's version called the edit all are offering similar type perks.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah, builds version is just another one we can add to this list.

[Teresa Murray]

And you know what they say, if everybody is special, then nobody is special.

[Megan Coyle]

How am I supposed to get my space available room upgrade when I'm competing with the people from Chase and Amex and all the other people who supposedly can get upgrades?

[Teresa Murray]

Well, Megan, I wish you the best. So where's your next trip? Using what I guess is your FHR credit earned through your platinum card?

[Megan Coyle]

I'm using my Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts credit in Ireland for a trip with my dad later this year. I'm very excited because the property looks like a castle. And we're going to use the property credit on dinner inside of an old Orient Express train car. That's there.

[Teresa Murray]

Whoa, that sounds fun. Take me with you.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah.

[Teresa Murray]

And final bit of news for today. Complaints lodged against US airlines hit another record in 2024 with travelers sounding off about problems including canceled flights, lost baggage, installed refunds.

[Megan Coyle]

Any idea which airline was the worst?

[Teresa Murray]

Oh, Megan, I know. And this should not come as a surprise. Of the 10 largest airlines, that honor or dishonor, shall we say, goes to Frontier, which had the most complic complaints per 100,000 passengers.

[Megan Coyle]

Frontier, not Spirit.

[Teresa Murray]

Okay. Well, I mean, obviously Spirit was the second worst, but I have to say Frontier's complaint level was considerably worse.

[Megan Coyle]

Ouch. Okay, what were the best airlines then?

[Teresa Murray]

Southwest and Alaska had the fewest complaints. That's all according to a U. S. Public interest research group's education fund analysis of Department of Transportation data.

[Megan Coyle]

And you actually got to talk to someone from that group to dig into this data a little bit.

[Teresa Murray]

Yes. Today's guest is Teresa Murray. She works as a consumer watchdog within that group. Teresa, your organization recently put out a new report, the Plain Truth 2025. Now, what do you think are the high level points that we should know.

[Sally French]

The main takeaways are complaints against US Airlines hit another new record, which it's done four out of the last five years. And then complaints against all airlines, including foreign airlines, were at the second highest level ever. Some of the other high points, cancellations and delays were up about 1.7 million flights were canceled or delayed.

[Teresa Murray]

And is that up year over year?

[Sally French]

Yes. And mishandled bags, lost wheelchairs that improve slightly.

[Teresa Murray]

Well, that's good. At least people aren't losing as many bags. Now, one of the things that I do wonder, when you say complaints are up, is that a percentage or is that a raw number? Because on some levels, someone might say, well, air travel as a whole is up. More people are traveling. So of course more complaints might come in.

[Sally French]

It's actually a raw number. But what's interesting about that is the complaints were up against US airlines by 9%, but passenger volume was up only 4%.

[Teresa Murray]

Oh, interesting. So complaints are still up relative to even the number of increased passengers?

[Sally French]

Yes.

[Teresa Murray]

Why do you think that is?

[Sally French]

Well, I mean, obviously it's speculative. A few reasons why we think is one, passengers have found their voice. They realize that complaining gets results. We saw the FAA reauthorization passed last year with tons of new consumer protections. Also some of it we think we hear anecdotally that it' like this post Covid mentality. You know, we didn't get to go out and play very much there for a year, year and a half, two years. And so now when people travel, doggone it, they want things to be perfect. And then the other thing that's a consideration is airline tickets have gone up in price and baggage fees for the most part have gone up in price. So people expect more for their money, and if they're not getting it, they're ticked. And the other thing I'll just note real quick is there's cancellations, you know, and we can say, okay, cancellations are up a little bit. But there's also something called discontinued flights. And anytime a flight is taken off the board more than a week ahead of time, it's not considered a canceled flight. If you find out that your flight that you're supposed to take in two weeks is just, boom, gone, then that doesn't count as a canceled flight. Like, DOT doesn't track it yet. If you have to rebook, then it will probably cost you more to do it two weeks ahead of time. And there may not even be seats available.

[Teresa Murray]

Yeah, I've been there where I'll have a 10am flight and they'll say, oh, well, we've moved you to the flight at 4pm and I'm like, wait, no. But I had to be somewhere at 3pm at my destination. Like, that 4pm flight is not going to work. So I do see why passengers are frustrated by things like that. It's funny you mention that ticket prices are going up. We do see actually from ticket prices departing out of the US Ticket prices are down. But what we see is that there are so many increased checked bag fees. Customers are ticked about that. Because you're right. When you are checking a bag and there's a giant line to check your bag maybe your bag doesn't arrive, of course you're going to send a complaint, particularly when the bag fees we find are sometimes higher than certain airfares themselves.

[Sally French]

That's certainly the case. But people should know that as part of the new rulemaking that if your bags are delayed by a certain amount of time, you get a refund for those baggage fees and you're entitled to the airline must cover incidentals if it's like overnight. So toiletries, clean, change of clothes, that sort of thing.

[Teresa Murray]

And what you are talking about is actually a new set of consumer protections. These were passed in 2024 by Congress and the Department of Transportation. They are going into effect on a rolling basis. Many of them are already in effect and a lot of customers don't know that they have possibly way more protections than they did in years past. Especially if you've traveled two, three years ago, things might be different. So we are going to talk about that after this.

[Narrator]

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[Teresa Murray]

Do a double take. Dairy free your mind. Visit so delicious dairy free.com we are back with Theresa Mara. We are talking about passenger complaints but more importantly I want to talk about right now is passenger protections. Theresa, you know all about these new consumer protections that have been passed. What should people know?

[Sally French]

It's really notable that what Congress passed in May of 24 were the most recent sweeping consumer protections passed as part of any one FAA reauth in generations more than two dozen major ones and a lot of minor ones. The biggest things that people should be aware of is it requires no hassle refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights. And then now there's a definition for what's a significant delay. You know, you might say, well a Half hour is significant. The airline might say, well, five hours, that's significant. Well, okay, that's fine. But now there's a legal definition and it's three hours or more is a significant delay. And I think we could agree on that. And then airlines cannot offer you a voucher first, they have to offer you a refund first. Whereas in the past the airlines would try and shove a voucher down your throat. And if you decide to take a voucher, it has to be good for five years. And then there's also a requirement that the airlines must display what their commitments are to passengers who are inconvenienced or disrupted. And a couple other things that are important. The airlines must all have 24, 7 live agents for people whose flights were disrupted. None of this like getting lost in voicemail. And then also vast new protections for people who use wheelchairs or scooters and need help in the plane or need help, perhaps getting to the restroom. There's tons of new protections there, and that's long overdue. There's another thing about the refund for the baggage fees if your checked bags arrive 12 hours or more after you do, and that's for domestic work.

[Teresa Murray]

One thing I do want to remind listeners is that refund is for the price of your airfare. I see this all the time where people have a canceled flight and then they immediately book a flight on another airline. And last minute flights are almost always super expensive. And so I'll see these people who will book like an $1,000 last minute flight just on the next departing flight. And they probably won't be compensated for that, particularly if it's on a different flight or a different airline. So it is important people not they can get their money back, but they won't necessarily be rebooked on another flight if it's with a different airline. However, airlines do pledge to rebook you on their own flights. That's correct. Right?

[Sally French]

Yeah. And actually this is part of where it's really important for travelers to know what their rights are. So one thing to back up. If your flight is canceled for any reason, it doesn't matter. Whether it's because of bad weather or a zombie apocalypse, it doesn't matter. You are still entitled to a refund not only of your ticket price, but also your baggage fees, any extra ancillary fees, your wife wi fi, all that good stuff, taxes. Now, the dashboard that we talked about earlier, right now, as it stands, all 10 of the major airlines have committed and it's in writing. So they're required to do it. They will rebook you on their own flight if there's a cancellation or a delay, you know, a significant delay. And then the ones that will rebook you with a competitor, that's what's really important. The ones that will rebook you with a competitor are Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue and United States. The ones that will not, that haven't promised you are allegiant, Frontier, Southwest in Spirit.

[Teresa Murray]

Generally, more of those budget airlines aren't going to be as helpful in the event of any sort of flight issues. And that's kind of one reason why often Nerd Wallet recommends that it might be worth paying more upfront for that more expensive airline for that Delta or that American over that Spirit flight. Because often Spirit won't necessarily give you as much help as something like a Delta or an American. I think another thing to note is if you are worried about the potential of a canceled or delayed flight is with an airline like Spirit, if there aren't as many flights going out that day, they might rebook you on the next flight, but the next flight might be tomorrow, which might not be good enough.

[Sally French]

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean, it's really important for people before they book to go onto the dot's website and it's flightrights.gov and it lays out the whole dashboard there. And that way you can make an informed choice. And to your point, maybe you don't want to book with a, an airline that doesn't offer you much if the flight is canceled or delayed and it's the airline's fault.

[Teresa Murray]

You mentioned this passenger dashboard. Can you kind of outline what sort of things are promised in that dashboard? And then I want to know which airlines have the best promises and which ones maybe make not so much. And I'm guessing Spirit and Frontier might be some of those.

[Sally French]

Well, it's important to know where this came from because prior to the summer of 2022, none of the airlines made these promises. OK, no airline guaranteed meal vouchers or hotels, even if it was their fault that you were delayed or your flight was canceled. And then the Department of Transportation made a decision. They said, okay, you know, we can't require you to offer hotels or meal vouchers or ground transportation, but we are going to publish a who's who's list of who does what, and if you do, you get a pretty green check mark and if you don't, you get a big red nasty X. And so it's changed over time because now the top 10 airlines have started coming on board with what they will and will not do.

[Teresa Murray]

And do you have any airline that maybe stands out to you as the most generous in terms of what their promises are?

[Sally French]

Well, I mean, really pretty much nine of the 10 are on that page. One of the things is the airlines are starting to even do more than that. Because when it comes to rebooking, hotels, meals, ground transportation, again, all of them are pretty good, except for Frontier and rebooking with a competitor, not so much with four of the airlines. But then the expectations have increased. So it's like, okay, will any of these airlines offer just cash compensation for the inconvenience because you know, you didn't get where you were going and you know what happens with reward points? Maybe you get more. Those kinds of things are coming online, but they're not really universal yet. There are a couple of the airlines that will offer some of the things. But now the one thing that's important to note here is when we're talking about a significant delay, the three hour thing, that is arrival, not departure.

[Teresa Murray]

So I do want to circle back to some of these complaints. Are you able to see the nature of the complaints, what people actually write?

[Sally French]

Unfortunately not. That has never been public, unlike with some other regulators that do make like the generalities available, especially if it's like the company involved. But no, there's no narrative.

[Teresa Murray]

Okay, but you are with the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. I'm sure you talk to a lot of people who do travel. Have you heard any sort of wild stories of reasons why people would complain? Are you seeing any themes? I know you mentioned complaints about prices being higher and all these extra fees, but I'm curious if you have any great anecdotes.

[Sally French]

Probably one of the wildest ones was from a couple years ago. A gentleman in 2023 and his wife, they had booked a flight through a ticket agent through a third party website which didn't have a very professional name. And they booked the flight through Delta, they got confirmation and so forth and they were supposed to go in March. And then the day before when the guy wasn't able to get his boarding passes, he started trying to figure out what was going on. It turns out they said when he finally got through to like Delta's customer service that he had canceled his tickets. And it's like, no, he hadn't canceled his tickets. And it turns out there was just some kind of just horrific cluster, oh no. And they said, not only are your tickets canceled, we don't know what happened. To your money. He paid like 600 bucks per ticket. And so it turns out that he eventually was able to rebook tickets directly through Delta at a cost of more than $2,000 per ticket, not the 600. Okay, get this. They were the exact same seats, like 11A and 11B. Apparently this ticket agent was not very reputable. He was not even able to get the $600 back. It looks like somebody pocketed it and then, like, the company went out of business.

[Teresa Murray]

Interesting.

[Sally French]

That's a long way of saying that. If people think they want to try and save money through these third party ticket agents, they should definitely be careful. There are some good ones and there are some not so good ones. But if you have a problem, if you need to rebook, if something goes wrong, if there is a controllable cancellation or delay, it's just a lot more difficult to do.

[Teresa Murray]

Oh, I agree. I agree. Nerdwallet always recommends avoiding that middleman when possible. The only reasons why NerdWallet recommends using that third party is maybe if you're in a situation like you're booking a cruise, and then the cruise company, which you know is reputable, maybe like a Norwegian or a Royal Caribbean, they book your airfare. And the benefit of that being you might be able to bundle price and save. And then the cruise company knows what flight you're on. So if your flight is delayed, they can help you then get on that cruise or figure out how to rebook that cruise. So there are some situations where using that middleman makes sense. Theresa, can you imagine stories like these are a great reminder to often just book direct.

[Sally French]

Yes, absolutely.

[Teresa Murray]

And I think that kind of brings us into our next portion. I really want to talk about advice, especially for travelers who haven't flown in the past year, which is pretty common for many people. What are things that passengers should know? What's your best advice for people?

[Sally French]

And are we talking for newbies or veterans or both?

[Teresa Murray]

Let's start with the newbies.

[Sally French]

Well, the information is that the average person flies every 12 to 18 months. And so if you haven't flown in 12 to 18 months, there are a bunch of different things that you should know, including the things that we've talked about, your rights if the flight is canceled or significantly delayed. Some of the advice that we tell people, though, whether you travel every week or once or twice a year, is in addition to that, you should put trackers in your bags, including your carry ons, because more and more airlines are requiring people to gate check those, even if there's Plenty of overhead bin space. Now you ask why is that? Well, a lot of it is because it takes so long for people to futz around and it's like, oh, I want my overhead here. And these airlines in many cases are scheduling these so close together that they don't want people messing around with the bags and the overhead. So put trackers in all of your things. We would recommend that people know that they have rights so that if something happens, you know where to go to look it up. Now we do have what we are proud to call a one stop resource. It's pirg.org flighttips and it has links to all of the new rights, the old rights, how much you're entitled to if this is lost, if that happens, all that kind of stuff. And then the other thing that we really encourage people is just be nice. Travel can be stressful. The airline employees, they're working their butts off. Be nice to your fellow passengers. And if something goes wrong, be nice to whoever you're dealing with at customer service or on the phone, because that person probably did not cause your problem, but they might be able to help fix it.

[Teresa Murray]

So is that your advice for the frequent travelers?

[Sally French]

Well, all of that, but they probably know that. But I do have a couple of other pointers for people who are savvy travelers. If you're really trying to avoid a problem, there is a site on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for chronically delayed flights. It's really easy to search. I mean, something else is we have seen more overbooking in some cases with some of the airlines. Now of course they are reluctant to involuntarily bump some people, but they will take volunteers. So we have some tips on that. And people should not just say, okay, I'll take $100. You might be able to get more. But, but if you don't want to get bumped, airlines must have a fair process, non discriminatory for bumping people. But you know, it could be who checked in last, who paid the least for their tickets, who is not a loyal frequent flyer, those kinds of things. So you might want to be cognizant of that. If you don't want to get bumped.

[Teresa Murray]

What are your tips for passengers who can get the most money? How do you max that out?

[Sally French]

Well, I mean, you've probably seen these offers too, where the morning of your flight, like you've already checked in ahead of time, you got your boarding pass and then that morning, you know, it's like so and so airlines is looking for volunteers and then you have to put in a bid.

[Teresa Murray]

Yes.

[Sally French]

And so it's like, it could be a hundred dollars or $300 or $500. So, you know, people just need to decide what's important to them. If you bid $500, you're not as likely to get that. But if it really makes absolutely no difference to you and you could use an extra hundred bucks to go out to eat and have fun, then, you know, bid that, and there's probably a chance that it might get taken.

[Teresa Murray]

And I think it's also important for customers to note is they have to give you the amount of the highest bid. So I was on a flight, the Delta 1 ISA, they were offering either 200, 400 or 600, and I actually bid 400, but I got the 600 because the last person took 600. They needed maybe five volunteers. I was an early one willing to go, but the fifth volunteer was only willing to do it for that 600. So everyone got 600.

[Sally French]

That's right.

[Teresa Murray]

Any other tips that you want to give people? Last words?

[Sally French]

Just a couple of things to kind of keep your eye on in the future is we're waiting for the DOT to announce some decisions and to have these rules take effect as far as delay compensation. And there could be a point where the airlines will be required to do more than what they do right now as far as hotels and food vouchers and ground transportation. And also, there's a part of it where there's a thought on whether they should be required to compensate us for our time and just the inconvenience of being stuck in the airport. There's been no determination on how that's gonna play out. I mean, that does exist in some other countries, but that's just something to watch. The part of it that is super interesting is right now, the airlines are only on the hook for controllable cancellations or delays. So staffing or equipment or scheduling. And one of the things DOT is looking at is what exactly is the definition of a controllable cancellation or delay? Because a lot of times the airlines will try and say, oh, it's bad weather. And there's always bad weather someplace.

[Teresa Murray]

You know, I totally see, like, it's sunny outside. And they'll say bad weather. Everyone is like, what?

[Sally French]

Yeah. I mean, it could be coming from your connecting flight. And so that. That certainly makes a lot of sense. But DOT is going to finally get to the bottom of it, because the airlines don't necessarily like to fess up about how much of this is actually their Fault. So that's one thing and then something else that's really important that safety related. And this has been ongoing for years. But new passenger protections are coming. When it comes to evacuation standards, airlines are required by law to be able to evacuate an airplane within 90 seconds. So they did a study several years ago and they filled the plane with people and they got off in less than 90 seconds. But here was the problem. All of them were like guys in their 20s, these young stud athletes, right? There were no old people, there were no young children, there were no people with walkers. And it's like, oh cool, that's just not real life. And so DOT has demanded that this study be redone. And what we will see is something addressing this and then also to come in the future, that dashboard that we were talking about, at some point it's going to be required for the airlines to publish their seat sizes so that you and I will know. Okay, am I going to get crammed into someplace, you know, this small plane or what's, you know, the pitch and the seat width and that's something that's important to a lot of people. So it's something to keep an eye on.

[Teresa Murray]

Very interesting. Thank you for keeping up with the tips. NerdWallet will be following it and if they want to follow you, where can listeners find you?

[Sally French]

Theresa perg.org backslash scams thank you so.

[Teresa Murray]

Much for joining us just in time for summer. I appreciate you being here and have a great week.

[Sally French]

Thanks. You do the same good tips in.

[Megan Coyle]

There, especially as I'm in the midst of making my own complaints.

[Teresa Murray]

Ooh, that's right. Megan, are we talking about your lost luggage in Italy?

[Megan Coyle]

Oh yeah, you bet. But we'll go way more into that on a later episode. I literally have an episode worth of things to say about losing your luggage.

[Teresa Murray]

I am on the edge of my seat. We will do a whole show on your baggage journey. I have to say, Megan, I know so many people who have lost luggage on route to Europe.

[Megan Coyle]

Yeah, it, it happens. It honestly does. I think it's time for a listener question though.

[Teresa Murray]

Okay, let's do that Disney one from Melissa.

[Megan Coyle]

So Melissa wrote in and said my family is planning a Disney trip next year and my sister, who has a husband and two kids is wondering if the meal package is worth it. We usually get one to two sit down restaurant meals per day and the other quick service. They're big snackers and drink a lot too.

[Narrator]

Haha.

[Megan Coyle]

From what you know, do you think the meal package for a family is worth It.

[Teresa Murray]

I love that she hadn't in the. Haha.

[Sally French]

Yeah.

[Teresa Murray]

Okay, Melissa. I love talking about the Disney dining plan. You hit up the right people. So for those of you not in the know, the Disney dining plan is a prepaid meal package available to guests staying at Walt Disney World owned hotels. That's over in Orlando.

[Megan Coyle]

So there are actually two tiers of this. The first is a quick service plan, which is about 60 a day, and it gets you two counter service meals, one snack, and a refillable resort mug.

[Teresa Murray]

And then there's the standard dining plan. That one is about a hundred dollars per day. It gets you one table service meal, and then again one quick service meal, one snack and that same refillable mug.

[Megan Coyle]

A hundred dollars. That's a pretty big investment. Like am I eating a hundred dollars worth of corn dogs and churros at Disney by myself?

[Teresa Murray]

Okay. You do get fancier food than corn dog and churros with this thing.

[Megan Coyle]

That's true. That's true.

[Teresa Murray]

Even still, Megan, I would say for most people, I really don't think of the dining plan as much of a deal, but more like a prepaid budgeting tool. So you're not necessarily saving money by default, but it does often feel like you're getting a better value once you're in the parks and not constantly pulling out your wallet.

[Megan Coyle]

Right. It's the difference between paying for every cocktail on a cruise versus getting the drink package. You might not always come out ahead, but you'd feel like you did. And it takes the stress out of those mealtime decisions.

[Teresa Murray]

And real talk, saving stress is worth a lot of money on a family vacation.

[Megan Coyle]

100% agreed.

[Teresa Murray]

So now for the fun part. I am fascinated by the Disney dining plan and I've written many stories on it.

[Megan Coyle]

Yes, definitely. We'll post your dining plan guide in the episode description.

[Teresa Murray]

I love to talk to Disney superfans about it and more importantly, how they hack it. So I met this one woman who actually runs an Instagram account called toricdeelhunter. She saved nearly $200 on food during her TR trip.

[Megan Coyle]

Wow.

[Teresa Murray]

I will link to her interview in the episode description because it's hilarious. It is amazing. Her strategy had some nuance to it, but it generally came down to basically don't order the corn dogs like you said, but instead order the most expensive items always.

[Megan Coyle]

Right. So like a steak over the vegetarian entree or a cocktail instead of a soda.

[Teresa Murray]

Right. And snack credits can be sneaky good too. I love hydration, but do not waste these on bottled water. Bring your own refillable water bottle and then use those snack credits at places like Gaston's Tavern where you can get these massive cinnamon roll basically small meals.

[Megan Coyle]

Yum. And then you have to factor in the age of the kids. Disney oddly defines kids as ages 3 to 9, so sorry 10 year olds, you're adults.

[Teresa Murray]

If you do have kids in the under 10 range though, the real pro move is you can use the kids meal credits at places that don't have a kids menu. So I'm thinking about Yorkshire County Fish Shop in Epcot. You can get a full size fish and chips meal using just a kid's credit.

[Megan Coyle]

And Melissa says she's going next year, so I'm assuming that means 2026 and you reported on a good deal in the dining plan universe that applies for next year?

[Teresa Murray]

Yes. So if you purchase a stay at a Disney World Hotel in 2026 and you buy the dining plan for all the adults in your group, then all the kids in your group eat free. So this is a good deal because one there is no cap on how many kids per room qualify, it's just as many kids as you fit in the room. And then two, you can can stack this deal with other hotel discounts.

[Megan Coyle]

Melissa, it sounds like your family is a good fit for this dining plan deal and we'll link to more details about that in the episode description.

[Teresa Murray]

And we want to hear from you, the listeners tell us your worst air travel stories, send us your questions, just.

[Megan Coyle]

Tell us a joke, email [e-mail] or you can even leave us a voice memo and save your fingers from typing.

[Teresa Murray]

Also, if you've made it this far, I hope this means that you're a fan of the show, in which case please rate and review it. You can leave a comment and also a star rating.

[Megan Coyle]

You know, five stars we like the most, but we're open to all the feedback.

[Teresa Murray]

And besides giving us your feedback, come back for more by following the show on your favorite podcast app that includes Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio. That way you can automatically download next week's episode and all future episodes to come.

[Megan Coyle]

This episode was produced by Hilary Georgi and Tess Vaglen. Claire Soci helped with fact checking. Nick Karismi mixed our audio. Thanks Nick. And a big thank you to Nerdwall.

[Teresa Murray]

Its editors for all of their help and our disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advice advisors. This info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.

[Megan Coyle]

Thanks for listening. We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. See you next time.

[Narrator]

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